Mobius Saga: The Winter Machine
by Patebunny
Summary: Suddenly it begins to snow in July in the Great Forest. Dr. Robotnik has a frightening new plot in the works, and the Freedom Fighters must act quickly or be frozen to death.


**This is a redo of the SatAM cartoon. It's going to be violent, dark, and possibly have other adult content. Don't expect it to be anything like the original, beyond the characters and the basic situation.**

Tails wrinkled his muzzle at the icy sensation on the tip of his nose. A single snowflake, now melted into a droplet of water, had fallen from the sky. He looked up in confusion and saw that the sky, which had been sunny only moments ago, was now an angry, swollen black and gray.

"What's wrong, Tails?" Sally stood just a few feet ahead of him, wearing her usual cargo pants, gray shirt, and blue utility vest.

He continued looking up and she flowed his gaze. By now, there were thousands of the tiny flakes of ice drifting lazily to the ground. A sudden gust of frigid wind caused him to shiver and cross his arms over his chest. He was dressed for summer, in small jean shorts and a tank-top, not for this kind of cold. It seemed enough to cut right through his fur.

"Snow? In July?" His voice cracked and shot higher pitched as he spoke.

"This is unnatural. It has to be Robotnik."

Tails shivered again, but it wasn't from the cold this time. Dr. Robotnik was the one being that everyone, large and small, feared. And rightly so. Tails had been a baby when Robotnik overthrew Mobotropolis, but the stories of the slaughter and ruthlessness were a steady diet he had been fed for as long as he could remember. His own parents had died in that coup.

"What could he possibly get from making it snow?" He asked as they walked.

"I wish I knew. But it doesn't matter. Whatever his plans are, we've got to stop him."

It didn't take them long to reach Knothole, but by the time they hopped off the hidden slide that led into the valley where the village was nestled, snow covered the ground. The temperature had dropped at least forty degrees in that span and now it was snowing with a fury.

The small huts that lined the main road in Knothole were simple wooden structures with thatched roofs, and seeing them blanketed in heavy snow was worrisome. If too much weight accumulated, the buildings would collapse.

Those who lived here, calling themselves Freedom Fighters, were creatures of all shapes and sizes. Even a few of the wolf pack had decided to make Knothole their home, and they were easy to spot as most were head and shoulders taller than everyone else. They had all come here with a singular purpose: they wished to defeat Dr. Robotnik.

Many were gathered near the edge of the town, most murmuring and pointing at something in concern. Sally darted ahead, and Tails had to nearly run to match her pace.

"What's going on?"

"Oh, hey Sally." Rotor was wearing his usual greasy coveralls. He hooked a thumb in the direction of the gardens. "I'm working on a heatsource for the food. If this snow keeps up it'll kill the crops and we won't last the winter." He paused a moment, then added, "The real one."

Sure enough, there was a great deal of snow blanketing the entire garden. Most of the onlookers in the crowd seemed confused and worried.

"You suppose this is old oil britches doing?"

"Sugah, you know it must be." Bunnie was hard to miss. Her body had been partially roboticized some years back, and her clothing had to be made special to accommodate the robotic limbs. Her pink jumpsuit, which resembled more a bathing suit, was cut low at the neck revealing an ample portion of her breasts.

"I am inclined to agree." Sally said.

"So what's all the commotion about –" Sonic's words died mid-sentence as he noticed the snow and cold. He yawned, rubbed his eyes and looked around. As usual, he had been sleeping in. He was shirtless and wearing only a pair of heart patterned underwear. Tails tried not to stare, but it was difficult. The underwear left little to the imagination. It was common for Sonic to walk around like that in the summer, so no one else seemed to notice or care.

"Sugah hog, it is way too cold for ya to be out like that."

Sonic shivered and nodded. "No kidding."

"We need to get to Robotropolis and find out how Robotnik is doing this." Sally said.

"No problemo." Sonic said and grinned at Sally. "I'll be in and out of there in a Sonic second!"

"Can I go, too, Sonic?" Tails asked meekly.

"Sure – "

"Absolutely not." Sally said, finishing with a frown for Sonic. "He's too young."

"I'm already twelve!" Tails protested. "I went on a patrol with you today. Isn't that dangerous?"

"Let him go, Sal. I will take care of him. Don't worry."

Sally sighed. "Fine. Just hurry. Even with Rotor's device, I don't think we can last through this much snow."

Tails brightened for a moment, but then looked around. The snow had accumulated quickly, almost doubling in amount since they started talking.

"Ok, big guy. I'll get dressed and then we're off to buttnik's hideout!"

Tails coughed and tried his best not to breathe through his nose. Robotropolis was a towering mass of metal and wire stretching up into a foul blanket of smog. From the moment they arrived, he felt as though he would choke on the stench alone. It smelled like something between an open sewer and burning plastic.

"Not too fun, is it big guy?"

Tails shook his head and tried to look tough. Sonic smiled and patted his head. That used to irritate him, but now he found that was no longer the case. The moment Sonic's hand left his head, he sighed.

"Let's get going. Uncle Chuck's hideout isn't far from here."

They made their way through the rubble and refuse that littered the streets. Amongst the trash were bones. Most were grimy and molded, their once white color turned a filthy brown by the thick pollution in the air. Tails gasped at the sight of a skull with a moldy eye in the socket and clung to Sonic.

The hedgehog put his arm around Tails and pulled him in tight.

"Try not to look."

"But, there shouldn't be eyes in that! The coup was years ago."

"Not all of these bones are that old." There was a distant sadness in his voice.

Suddenly there was an explosion of garbage. Tails and Sonic were flung to the ground apart from each other.

"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" A robotic voice droned.

A robot towered over Tails, pointing a laser gun at his face. He sat paralyzed in fear. He had heard about Swatbots before, but this was his first time ever seeing one. It was larger than he had ever imagined.

"Tails!"

The laser gun began to hum, and the tip began to glow an ominous red.


End file.
